Improvement in washing-machines



THOMPSON.

WASHING-MACHINE;

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UNITED NSTATES PATENT CDF-Frein.

JOHN THOMPSON, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS..

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17l,965, dated January 1l, 1876; application tiled April 24, 1874.

machine, as will be hereinafter more fully set,

forth.

In order to enable others skilled in theart to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure lj is a plan view of Amy improved washing-machne, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of `the same through the line a: .r of Fig. 1. Y

A represents a rectangular box, of any suitable dimensions, supported upon legs'B B. In this box is arranged a wash-board, consisting of transverse bars O G and rollers D D, substantially in the manner shown in Fig. 2- that is, between the rollers are placed a number of bars, more or less, as desired, and all having openings or small spaces between them. Thewash-board, preferably, is made in sections, each section slotted to form a series of bars, and the rollers placed between the sections, to carry the clothes along. The

. wash-board, being open, permits the water to pass up through it; and it is, in a full-sized machine, set about an inch above the bottom of the box A, which allows the dirt to settle to the bottom, and not reina-in on the washboard.

G represents the follower or rubber, provided With handles E E, and attached, by means of springs H H, to slides a a, moving in horizontal grooves formed in the sides of the box, a suitable distance above the washboard C D. The'rubber Gris corrugated, and provided with a series of slots, as shown,the slots allowing the water to pass through the same and go through the clothes.

The rubber or follower fastens onto the clothes, and rubs them on the wash-board; and the springs H, being pivoted to the slides a, permit the rubber to raise and lower, acy cording to the amount of clothes under it.

The springs H H will yield to the clothes, V even though they may not turn out of the g way on their pivots.

rlhe operator can put as much or as little weight on the rubber as may be required by means ofthe handles E. The rubber may be raised to a perpendicular position, for putting in and removing the clothes. When it is def sired to change after rubbing yone part of the garment sufticient, the rubber is raised with the hand, when it runs back to the rear end of the machine, leaving the garment lying on the wash-board until the rubber is drawn toward the front and catches the garment in another place, and so goes on until it is washed through.

The rubber is operated by means of a treadle, I, connected. by a pitman, J, with a fly-wheel, K, upon the end of a crank-shaft, b, which has its bearings on the upperedges of the box A, and this crank-shaft by a pitman, L, connected with the rubber. By this means the machine will work very easy and fast.

It will be noticed that'there is a space or chamber, A', left at each end of the box A, not occupied by the Wash-board. The space in the front end is convenient for preparing the clothes for the Wash, and that in the rear end for the clothes after they have passed through the wash and ready for the wringer, which may be placed on the rearl end of the machine.

M represents a sheet-iron furnace, provided with a boiler, N which furnace is attached to the wash-box A by means of notched arms d d entering and catching in staples e e on the sides, at the rear end, of the box A. The clothes can thus be run from the wringer into the boiler.

If the furnace and boiler are not desired to be used they can easily be detached from thel wash-box.

I do not claim, in a washing-machine, eitherv Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by In testimony that I claim the foregoing as Letters Patent, ismy invention, I hereunto affix my signature The combination of the corrugated and slotthis 20th day ot'April, 1874.

ted rubber G, provided with the handles E, JOHN THOMPSON. springs H, and slides a, with the wash-board, Witnesses:

consisting ofthe bars C G and D D7 substan- W. H. COCK,

tially as described. GEO. T. GILMORE. 

